Liverpool Phil singers join international Ode to Joy

Members of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir are taking part in a ground-breaking online performance of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy.

Beethoven 360° - Ode to Joy brings together hundreds of singers and musicians from across the world in a special world premiere 360-degree-VR performance under the artistic leadership of Kahchun Wong, Singaporean Chief Conductor of Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra.

The video is being premiered on Singapore-based The Straits Times’ Facebook and YouTube channels from today.

Members of the Philharmonic Choir have played a leading role in the international collaboration beside musicians from the RLPO – including principal bassoon Nina Ashton, London Philharmonia and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Other choirs and orchestras involved in the revolutionary recording – celebrating the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth - include the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Dresden Boys Choir, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Japan Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, China National Centre for the Performing Arts Orchestra, New York Philharmonic and the Philharmonic Chorus of Tokyo.

The RLP Choir was due to have performed Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, with Nathalie Stutzman conducting, at the end of March but the concert fell victim to the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.

Kahchun Wong conducts the 360-degree Ode to Joy

The virtual performance is optimised for smartphones and tablets through the Youtube/Facebook apps. Laptops and computers can also access the video.

Kahchun Wong said: “Covid-19 has led to social distancing of people and nations. During such dire times, music must continue to play on. Music can inspire hope and beauty; it’s an international language that transcends physical barriers.

“Today, we’re endowed with 21st Century technology that allows us to be connected and to connect with our audience, without the need to congregate in the same physical space.

“I’m grateful to my musical friends and colleagues who have responded and contributed so generously to this project. Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, with its message of inclusivity, diversity and universal brotherhood, conveys exactly our feelings of united hope and global solidarity.”

Watch Beethoven 360° - Ode to Joy HERE